Why are so many celebrities obsessed with LA’s Flamingo Estate? From Meghan Markle to LeBron James
- LeBron James and Martha Stewart have worked with the lifestyle brand, and Meghan Markle wanted to invest – what’s the secret to Richard Christiansen’s farm concept?
If you are obsessed with nature, beauty, food, wellness or are simply a lover of beautiful things, then Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand Flamingo Estate should be on your radar.
The purveyor of all things natural and stylish – think of it as a sexier version of Daylesford Organics – has fast become the go-to brand for the modern aesthete ever since it was launched at the height of the pandemic four years ago.
“It’s about bringing culture into horticulture,” explains Flamingo Estate’s charming founder Richard Christiansen, who is busy putting his goats to bed when I call him for our interview.
He’s sitting under his favourite wisteria tree in the backyard of his home in LA’s Highland Park neighbourhood, a three-hectare private estate featuring a magical garden and a chic pink-hued Spanish-style house. He knew it would play a big role in his life as soon as he saw it.
“I was on a photo shoot in LA, and I ended up meeting this old man who had lived in this house for 65 years. He was 85 and walked me around the garden in his silk robe. The house, which was used to film porn movies, was in complete disrepair despite being in the middle of suburbia. The world had forgotten it, and it was crying out for someone to restore it. I made it my screen saver and was determined to live in it,” he recalls.
At the time Christiansen was at the height of his career. The son of farmers, he left his native Australia at the age of 16 to study law in London, before joining the creative world. By 28 he had opened his own successful advertising agency with offices in cities around the world, including New York and Hong Kong.
He was on the verge of his 40s when he finally bought the house and began an intense renovation project that made him re-examine his life and priorities.
“My business was performing well but I was failing on those important hidden metrics – nutrition, health and personal joy. I was sleepwalking. I just thought, how can I get out of this and what do I do?” he says.